Myers-Briggs - Managing Individual Performance

Managing Individual Performance

The steps a team leader takes to select workable teammates for a project can be challenging and frustrating task. The concepts of team building have been evaluated for many years by psychologists, psychoanalysts and researchers such as Carl Gustav Jung, Abraham Maslow, mother and daughter Katherine Briggs and Isabel Myers-Briggs.

The simulation is based on research performed by Myers-Briggs, Abraham Maslow and Carl Jung which deals with organizational structure and individual team member personality traits and how it affects individual/team morale and productivity. Silveira (2003) wrote that as individual learn his or her personality preference they will “ …. understand and appreciate their interactive strengths and vulnerabilities” (p. 29).

Based on the simulation, this paper will delve into Myers-Briggs Type Inventory personality categories-based on information provided, such as, volunteers’ personality profile, interests and hobbies, and notes from the supervisor (“Managing Individual”, 2005). Using this profile will determine which candidate will be selected in building case files, moderating self-help groups, perform follow-ups, and supervise confrontational sessions.

On-Line Simulation

The simulation starts by introducing DARE, the Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation Endeavor, a social responsibility initiative run by Sawyer Pharma, a $3.2 billion multinational pharmaceutical company with presence in 20 countries. The company encourages employees to volunteer 60 hours per year on community service. DARE project provides assistance such as psychological support, counseling and skill training to recovering drug addicts for several months until they can be clean of their addiction and return to a normal life.

The simulation selects a “DARE champion” for a new project that requires the individual to choose four out of seven team members with varied skill sets, interests, and motivation who will work with drug abusers to return to society with skill sets which will help them find gainful employment. The objective of this exercise is to explain how selecting a right or wrong team mates and providing those individuals with right or wrong motivations can affect team success and objective.

Selecting The Team

McShane and Van Glinow defined team as “ …. group of two or more people who interact and influence each other, are mutually accountable for achieving common objectives, and perceive themselves as a social entity within an organization” (p. 227). This statement means that for a team to be successful in its endeavors there is a need for interdependence and collaboration amongst team members to accomplish common goals. Team members should place the objective of the team higher than individual priorities and be willing to devote whatever effort is necessary to achieve team success.

Building Case Files

John Conner was chosen as the individual to build case files for the DARE participants in the drug rehabilitation program. A task description for John includes “conduct site visits to verify and research case histories and substance abusers’ profile, analyze and record causes and patterns of substance abuse” (“Managing Individual”, 2005). In order to build case files, John has to visit drug addict’s site and communicate with the individual. Such a person has to be a team player, task-oriented, extrovert, enjoy working and sharing information with people. John’s background as a football quarterback and coaching local baseball league fits Myers-Briggs extrovert (E), intuitive (N), thinker (T), and judger (J) personality trait. John tends to overlook “people” and also has had problems with some of his peers at work, the project champion will have to keep him motivated and steer him to the main goal of the assigned project.

Moderate Self Help-Groups

With the reputation of being hard-edged and constantly trying out new ideas and possibilities, project champion picked Lisa Stafford as the person responsible for moderating the self help-groups (“Managing Individual”, 2005). Lisa has worked with several awareness groups and has also contributed to other social causes. The friendly, personal, interested in others, and quick-thinker qualifies Lisa as extrovert (E), intuitive (N), feeler (F), and perceiver (P) on Myers-Briggs Personality analysis. Lisa task on the DARE project is to “facilitate interaction within self-help groups, arrange group meetings, handle conflicts and build record of interactions and results” (“Managing Individual”, 2005). At work, Lisa does not hesitate to take credit for work done, and project champion needs to be aware to reward Lisa’s efforts in the DARE project and to